A Fire and a Lake

July 16, 2018. From the side on Mount Mankato to Sullivan Lake.

It was very still last night. I thought and hoped there would be more of a breeze, but it was stagnant though the temperature did drop as ome.

When I started hiking the first thing I saw was a forest fire in the valley below. Uh oh.

I knew I should report it, but to whom? How? I turned on my phone and had a few bars. 9-1-1 seemed wrong. I googled the forest service for this particular area. I dialed the local office. It was early, so it was a recording. However, I was able to leave a message, but given the garbled connection I wasn’t sure it all went through. I also sent a note to the PNT trail association.

It was a great morning for hiking with many open meadows to cross.

The day kept getting hotter. Before I entered a lengthy burn area, I found a very unique mushroom. Previously, all mushrooms had been traditionally shaped.

Having reached the peak height for the day, I crossed a meadow that would lead to several hours in a burn area.

The burn area was depressing, inspiring, and boring. All the death and destruction is depressing. Ancient trees, countless animals, all burnt.

Inspiration came from the plants literally rising from the ashes and animals and insects trying to gain a foothold.

As the temperature soared with no source of shade, hiking was tough. I experienced this weird feeling where I just had no appetite. My rational mind knew I should eat, but my physical condition could not stand food.

Around 3:00, I finally left the burn area to follow a cool, noisey creek downhill. Appropriately named Noisey Creek, it would eventually feed in to a reservoir named Sullivan Lake.

At first, the creek and trail rapidly descended. However, at some point the trail switched away from the stream and began long, gradual switchbacks.

For a day hiker or casual mountain hiker, these broad leisurely paths might be very appealing. When you’re an exhausted through hiker, these paths are frustrating, in this case adding, I guessed, two miles more distance than necessary.

Finally, I reached a drive in campground between Noisey Creek and Sullivan Lake. It was 4:30 and I guessed it to be around 95 degrees. Tempting as it was to just buy a campsite, I knew the RVers would have a different schedule and they would be running their generators to run their air conditioners.

So I pushed on. A road ran down one side of Sullivan Lake and a four mile footpath down the other. I started down the trail,but had to rest. For the first time on this trip, I stopped for an extended break. It was too hot. Salt crystals were visible on my shirt and hat marking the days exertions.

After 30 minutes, I resumed my lake trail, constantly looking for a campsite. However, this side of the lake was a steep slope. After a few miles I came to a perfect campsite. A level place for my tent, close to the lake, and some prior occupant had made a bench at the water’s edge.

I ate dinner on the bench watching the sunset soaking my legs. A waxing crescent of moon appeared. Like a dimmer switch, as it descended toward the ridge across the lake, darkness increased. Once behind the ridge, it was dark and beautiful, with small waves touching shore.